Article of furniture



July 18, 1950 A. MARTIN ET AL A. MARTIN ET AL ARTICLE 0F FURNITURE July 18, 1950 Filed Nov. '7, 1946 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 uly 195 A. MARTIN ET AL 2,515,459

ARTICLE OF FURNITURE Filed Nov. 7, 1946 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 FIG. 3.

W INVENTORS 3 I ,AARON MARTIN HENRY MALE STANLEY COLLINS A. MARTIN ET AL July 18, 1950 ARTICLE OF FURNITURE 4 Sheets-Sheet F'iled Nov '7, 1946 l N V E N T O R S A A R ON M A R T l N H E N R Y M A LE TA N LEY G0 LLINS Patented July 18, 1950 ARTICLE OF FURNITURE Aaron-Martin, Henry Male, and Stanley Collins, London, England, said Male and said Collins assignors to said Martin Application November '7, 1946, Serial No. 708,264 In Great Britain August 8, 1946 .3 Claims.

[a bath, .said cabinet including .means for supporting the bath in an ,upeended position, in which vit ,is stowed within the confines of the cabinet, ,and for permitting the bath, when required for use, to be moved outwards into a position in which it .issupported ina horizontal .or substantially horizontal position partially or wholly outside said cabinet.

Ina preferred. form of the invention the cabinet is divided into a plurality of compartments by internal partitions, the'bath bein stowed away into one of these compartments and .the other 1;;

compartment or compartments being arranged to accommodate shelves, drawers, holders fortoilet articles, or otheraccessories useful in connection with the care of children.

Advantageously-the bath is mounted on a frame which is pivotally secured to a fitting within the cabinet, whereby the frame (and. ,with it, the bath) canbe swung up into its upended, stowed position within the cabinet, when the bath is not required for use, and can be projected into a horizontal position in whichthe bath is ready'for use. To support-the frame and-bath in the horizontal position, the aforesaid frame may conveniently be provided with pivotable legs which fold alongside'the frame when the latter is upended. Accordingto another advantageous fea- -ture of the invention the frame is connected to the cabinet by means of-a pair of parallel extensions which aredetachable from their connection with the-oabinet and may be adapted for adjustment relatively to the frame;so that the bath and framemaybe-removed from thecabinet and the said extensions used as a second 'pair of legs 'for supporting the bath and frame in another place.

Other features and-advantages oft-he invention will become apparent from the ensuing description and theannexed claims.

In'order that the invention may be more-then :oughly understood and readily carried into practice, an embodiment of the same will now be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings.

In these drawings:

Fig. 1 is a perspective View of a cabinet conforming with the present invention, the bath being shown stowed away in a, compartment of this cabinet.

Fig. 2 is another perspective view of the cabinet illustrated in Fig. l, but showing the doors opened and the bath projected into its horizontal position of use.

Fig. 3v is a front elevational view of thecabinet, with thehath in its position of use.

Fig. 4 is a section on I?VIV of Fig. 3,

Fig. 5 is a section on X-X of Fig. 3.

Fig. 6 illustrates the bath-supporting frame and legs.

In the embodiment illustrated in the drawings the cabinet is of rectangular prismatic form and conveniently 5' 6" .in height, 3' 6" in width, and

l 6 in depth. The rear wall 5.0, side walls 5! and 52, and the top 53 and bottom t l of the cabinet are all fixed, and the cabinet is divided internally into two compartments by a central, vertical partition 55 extending from the top to the bottom of the cabinet and from the front to the rear of the latter through :the full depth thereof. Both compartments are thus accessible from'the front of the cabinet.

The left-hand compartment is adapted to corn tain a 'bath fit and is furnished ata distance from the"bottom thereof, with a shelf 5] extending forwardly from therear wall 59 of the cabinet. This shelf 57 is provided with means whereby a frame 58 for supporting the bath may be pivo ally secured thereto. To this end, the shelf is :furnished, at equal distances from the rear wall of the casing, with a pair of upstanding brackets or lugs 58 which are spaced apart from each other and from the side wall 5! and partition 55 of the compartment.

The frame :58 for supporting the bath is of skeleton form, and includes a pair of parallel arms fill each having connected thereto,-at one end, an extension El, extending in the direction 0f the corresponding arm, by means of-Which it can be secured to the brackets 59. For this latter purpose the two extensions dl, which are in the form of fiat bars, are connected together, at the ends thereof remote from-the bath, by means of a cross-bar or spindle 62, the outer ends of which pass through holes in "thebrackets and are threaded to receive wing nuts-t3.

Each of the'extensions 61 is connected to its respective arm 60 by overlapping these parts and securing them together at two longitudinally spaced positions by means of b01ts B4 and wing nuts 65. Thus, the frame 58 and its extensions normally form a rigid assembly which is pivotable on the brackets 59 and can be swung up into a vertical position (as in Fig. 1), in which the frame and the bath 56 mounted thereon are located within the left-hand compartment of the cabinet, or be lowered into a horizontal position (as in Figs. 2 to 5) in which the bath and frame project out of this compartment.

In addition, the bath 56 and frame 58 can be detached from the cabinet by unscrewing the wing nuts 63, and if the outer of each pair of wing nuts 6 5' are also unscrewed, the extensions 6! can be pivoted angularly relatively to the arms 60 and set in their adjusted positions by means of the inner pair of Wing nuts 64 to act as a pair of legs for assisting in supporting the frame (and the bath) at a place remote from the cabinet.

The frame 58 is provided, at a part thereof remote from the extensions 6 I, with a further pair of legs 66, these legs being pivotally connected to the respective side arms 50 of the frame and being connected together at their free ends by a cross bar 51. As will be observed from Fig. 1 this pair of legs 66 is capable of folding alongside the frame 58 when the latter is swung up into the cabinet for stowage of the bath, and of being projected (as in Figs. 2 to 5) so as to act as a support for the frame and bath when these are brought into a horizontal position. Torestrain the movement of the legs 56 beyond the appropriate position thereof for supporting the frame and bath, each of them is provided with a projection 63 adapted to abut a part of the frame 5-!) when the legs 56 are in their extended position.

The bath 5B is mounted on the frame through the intermediary of a pair of parallel channel strips 69 secured to the underside of the bath, in the longitudinal direction thereof, and enclosing the tubular arms 60 of the frame 58. The arms 6!) may be secured against longitudinal and rotary movement relatively to the channels 69 by means of screws (not shown) passing through these two parts. As illustrated in the drawings, the arms 60 may be of telescopic form, the telescoping parts being secured together by means of knurled nuts '50 which has external threading to enable it to be screwed into the screw-threaded inner end of outer member of the corresponding arm 66. The arms 66 are connected together at their outer ends by an integral loop H which serves as a towel rail.

With this telescopic arrangement, by loosening the nuts H! and exerting a pull on the loop H, the arms 60, and with them the bath, may be moved outwardly away from the cabinet, when the frame and bath are in the horizontal position, and secured in their adjusted position by again screwing up nuts 10.

As has been explained, the bath 56 can be dis connected entirely from the cabinet, if desired, for use in another place, the two pairs of legs 6! and 66 then serving to support it in a horizontal position. This provision has another advantage, since, when no longer required for a baby or child, the bath can be entirely removed and the cabinet used for other storage purposes.

The shelf 5! is furnished, at a forward portion, with'a basin 72 which may be removable and which forms a front part of the shelf. The basin 12 may be employed for the disposal of napkins or as a separate container for water, e. g. clean water for rinsing map from the child being bathed, and also has the attribute of collecting any residual Water which might remain in the bath 56 when the latter is stowed away. The basin may, if desired, be provided with a draining plug or tap.

The bath itself is provided .with a draining tap 13, this being preferably secured to the underside of the bath at the front end of the latter, and being such that there is no part thereof projecting into the interior of the bath. Advantageously the tap is, as shown in Fig. 6, of the barrel type with a conical plug A flexible cover 14, which can be used as a hammock for supporting the child whilst being dried, is preferably also provided. This cover 14, when secured to the bath, spans the latter from side to side with a certain amount of sag, and is provided at each of its lateral edges with a securing rod 15 around which the corresponding marginal portion of the material of the cover is lapped and secured, e. g. by stitching.

Secured to each side of the bath, for example by welding, are a pair of brackets for retaining the aforesaid rods, these brackets being spaced apart a distance slightly exceeding the length of the flexible cover. The latter may be normally separate from the bath and adapted for attachment to the latter when required. Alternatively it can, as in the instance illustrated, be semipermanently secured at one side of the bath and have means for attachment to the other side of the bath when this is desirable. latter case the rod is held in captive fashion on one side of the bath, as by forming the brackets '76 on that side with a closed, rolled-over loop into which the ends of the corresponding rod ('5 are threaded. This enables the flexible cover 14 to be kept permanently attached to the bath. At the other side of the bath the brackets 11 are each formed with a curled-over upper portion forming clips under which the other rod 15 can be hooked when the latter is required for use.

The bath is provided at one end with a soap rack 18 in the form of a perforated dish, permanently or detachably secured over the upper edge of the end of the bath. It will be noted that the free edge E9 of the dish is rolled over upwardly so as to present a smooth surface and to act as an abutment for a bar of soap placed in the rack. By forming the soap rack 18 in the manner indicated'it is capable of detachment and use at either end of the bath.

The cabinet being more particularly described is designed to fulfil a variety of useful functions, and certain accessory details thereof will now be described.

The cabinet is provided in one or both compartments with a rail from which garment hangers may be suspended. The rail 30 may extend from one side wall 5| of the cabinet to the other side wall 52, passing through the central partition 55, and is arranged at the upper part of the cabinet about half-way from the front to the rear of the latter.

The right-hand compartment is furnished with drawers 8 I, the lowermost of these drawers being spaced a sufficient distance from the base of .the cabinet to provide accommodation for a pail for filling or emptying the bath. A stool for use when the child is being bathed could be stored in the lower part of the left-hand compartment.

Provided immediately above the drawer or drawers is a shelf 82, this shelf being capable of Thus in the.

projection out of, or retraction into, the cabinet, being slidable on guides 83 for this purpose.

Each of the compartments is provided with a door 84 extending over the full height of the compartment, these doors being hinged along vertical axes at their outer edges and folding inwards so as to close together midway along the width of the front of the cabinet. Each door 84 is provided with fastening means such as an espagnolette-type fastener 85 comprising a pair of oppositely-acting bolts guidedly mounted in the inside of the door and co-operating with a keep arranged, respectively, in the top and bot tom of the cabinet. The fastener is operated by means of a handle 86, the shaft of which passes through the door and is secured to a plate to which the inner ends of the bolts are secured at eccentric positions.

Advantageously one or more receptacles for toilet requisites, hair brushes, napkins, towels, and so on are provided on the inner side of one or both doors 84. The order, number and placement of receptacles may be varied and each receptacle may comprise a bracket, basket, pocket, such as those designated 86 in the drawings, or be in any other suitable form, or may consist of a simple shelf.

Detachably mounted in channels on the inner side of the right-hand door is a bracket 87 including a horizontally-disposed shelf 88 which is intended to support a chamber. ment is such that the bracket 81 can readily be removed, and moreover that when the door is closed the bracket 87 and a chamber thereon, will be accommodated in the space beneath the drawers 8! in the right-hand compartment.

Hooks 89 for supporting clothes or other articles are provided on the inner side of each of the doors 84.

A clip 90 is provided on the rear wall of the left-hand compartment to retain the bath 56 and frame 58 in their up-ended, stowed condition.

The cabinet may be made of any suitable material or combination of materials, for example wood, metal, or synthetic resin materials. Ad vantageously, however, the main structural components of the cabinet are made of aluminium or an aluminium alloy, and the walls 50, 5| and 52, the top 53 and bottom 54, and the central partition 55 of the cabinet are formed as interlocking sections which are screwed together after assembly.

The bath 56 may be made of similar material, but it is preferred to use mild steel for the supporting frame 58.

The parts of the cabinet, and especially the internal parts, will preferably be enamelled after assembly.

We claim:

1. As an article of furniture, a self-contained childs cabinet comprising a floor-standing casing divided internally into side-by-side compartments, a shelf secured within one of said com- The arrangepartments at a distance from the bottom of this compartment, and formed with a liquid-receiving basin, a skeleton frame pivotally secured at one end to said shelf, and a bath secured to said frame and pivotable with the latter alternatively into a substantially vertical up-ended condition Within said compartment or into a substantially horizontal position in which it projects forwardly from said compartment, said frame having telescopic elements permitting adjustment of the position of the bath relatively to the casing of the cabinet.

2. As an article of furniture, a self-contained childs cabinet comprising a floor standing casing; a skeleton, bath-supporting frame, said frame including a pair of telescopic side arms connected together at one end, a two-part extension element connected to each said side arm at the other end, and means for alternatively securing said extension element in alignment with the respective side arm or at an angle thereto; means for pivotally mounting said frame within said casing, means for detachably securing said frame extension elements within said casing; and a bath secured to said side arms.

3. As an article of furniture, a self-contained childs cabinet comprising a floor-standing casing divided internally into side-by-side compartments; a shelf secured within one'of said compartments at a distance from the bottom of this compartment and formed with a liquid-receiving basin; a skeleton frame pivotally secured at one end to said shelf, said frame including a pair of telescopic side arms connected together at one end, a two-part extension element connected to each said side arm at the other end, and means for alternatively securing said extension element in alignment with the respective side arm or at an angle thereto; means for pivotally securing said frame to said shelf; means for detachably mounting said frame extension elements to said shelf; a bath secured to said side arms and clip means in said compartment for supporting said bath and frame in an up-ended condition within said compartment.

AARON MARTIN. HENRY MALE. STANLEY COLLINS.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,490,028 Sauer Apr. 8, 1924 1,724,479 Havener Aug. 13, 1929 1,767,800 Kennedy et a1 June 24, 1930 1,810,599 French June 16, 1931 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 28,292 Great Britain Dec. 23, 1904 

